Piping your mint centers in .NET

Printer QR Code in .NET Piping your mint centers

You can easily form your mint centers using a technique called piping To pipe, you simply fill a paper or plastic cone-shaped bag that has a hole on the end (a piping bag) with your mixture so you can squeeze the mixture out of the bag into a shell or for a variety of other purposes For instance, piping is a useful way to write on candy, using chocolate as the ink You can also pipe fillings for mints and other fancy chocolates (see 18) You can purchase piping bags from most of the suppliers that sell other candy-making or baking supplies I list some of these suppliers in 24 I recommend getting the simplest piping bags: fairly inexpensive, disposable, plastic cone-shaped bags Suppliers usually sell these bags in small packages of 25 or so When you use a piping bag, use scissors to cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag so you can squeeze the contents out through the hole If you need to pipe something and simply don t have any piping bags or the time to go get any, fill a closable freezer bag with the filling, seal the bag, and snip off one corner but be sure you make a small snip

To pipe like a pro, just follow these easy steps and check out Figure 6-2: 1 Use a disposable cone-shaped plastic bag that s about 12 to 14 inches in length for the greatest ease 2 Cut off the tip of the bag to create a tiny hole 3 Place your mint mixture in the bag, filling the bag (halfway to 2 3 full), and twist the bag closed 4 To pipe the mixture evenly, use one hand to hold the bag and the other to guide the tip 5 To refill the bag for continued piping, set the bag down so the mixture doesn t run out the little hole as you fill from the top

Okay, enough talking about mints and how good they are I think it s time for you to make some delicious mint candies Before you start, be sure to check out 14 on tempering chocolate and 15 on dipping methods because the following two recipes require hand-dipping your mint delights in chocolate

For those occasions when you want a delicious little mint, this recipe is really quite nice It shows you how a basic fondant recipe with a few additions becomes a truly delicious candy Tools: Piping bag for making wafers Preparation time: 20 to 25 minutes plus at least 30 minutes for cooling Yield: 35 to 40 wafers 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup water

3 Put the sugar and 1 cup of water in a large saucepan and bring the ingredients to a boil,

stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar Cover the saucepan for 3 minutes to allow the water to wash the sugar down the sides of the pan

the tip doesn t touch the bottom of the pan Cook the mixture to 245 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes Then remove from heat, remove the thermometer, and stir in the gelatin

5 Pour the mixture into the baking pan; sprinkle water lightly on top Cool to 105 degrees,

7 Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside 8 In a microwave, warm the mixture in a microwaveable bowl on high to 150 degrees,

10 Put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe it into discs approximately 11 2 inches in diameter onto a lined cookie sheet

12 Temper the chocolate (see 14) and then hand-dip the mints using the technique I describe in 15 Place each piece on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet to dry for about 5 minutes at room temperature, but allow another 10 minutes for the chocolate to set

Tip: If you don t have time to complete the whole recipe, you can easily store the mint mixture until you re ready to dip it into the chocolate Just place the mixture in an airtight plastic container and store it for up to one week at room temperature If you want to store the undipped mints longer, carefully place them in a freezer bag before placing them in the plastic container, and freeze for up to three weeks

Per serving: Calories 107 (From Fat 23); Fat 3g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 1mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrate 23g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 1g